Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing apparatuses, control methods thereof, and storage media that store programs.
Description of the Related Art
Image processing apparatuses in which the functions of various devices such as scanners and printers, facsimile and communication devices, and so on are provided within a single unit have been known for some time. This type of image processing apparatus has an application platform environment in which various types of processes for the scanner, printer, or the like are run on an application-by-application basis, and a web browser is used to display a console. By manipulating screens displayed in the web browser, a user can utilize the various types of functions of the image processing apparatus via the applications run on the application platform.
The method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-105071 can be given as an example of a format in which the various types of functions and applications of the image processing apparatus are used through an operating screen displayed in a web browser. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-105071, first, the web browser displays an operating screen in a console of the image processing apparatus based on screen information received over a network from an external apparatus. When the user operates the operating screen, the web browser sends details of the user operation to the external apparatus over the network. The web browser then receives a request according to the SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) communication protocol as a response to the sent details. The web browser transfers the received request to a web service provider application, and a function of the image processing apparatus provided by the web service provider is then used.
However, with this conventional technique, the only applications of the image processing apparatus that can be operated through the web browser are web browser-based applications compliant with a predetermined protocol. Local applications that can be operated through the operating screen of the image processing apparatus are generally not capable of being operated through the web browser. As such, in order to operate a local application through the web browser, it has been necessary to add modifications based on the specifications of the predetermined protocol and recreate the application as a web browser-based application.